A further visit to Berecroft with Conservative Housing Spokesman Grant Shapps

Given that Berecroft residents have endured their third fire in recent times, I thought it important to bring the Conservative Housing Spokesman Grant Shapps today to meet local residents

Mr Shapps was accompanied by prospective Harlow Conservative MP Robert Halfon, Harlow Conservative local councillor and housing committee chairman Lee Dangerfield and Berecroft Residents Association chairman Zulqar Cheema when he visited the estate this morning

The second major fire in the terraced properties in ten months has led to renewed calls for South Anglia - the housing association which owns the properties - to carry out major work to make the homes safer.

Viewing the fire-damaged properties, Mr Shapps observed:

"This is a shocking fire and it must be very frightening for the residents. The construction of these properties is obviously a real worry. I've seen a range of different problems here and concerns too because the housing association involved, South Anglia, has issued a statement saying they are actively working on the estate which turns out not to be true when you come here. I will be writing to the managing director today to find out what they really intend to do. It's quite clear there's not much going on at the moment.\What people want to know is what is going to happen about it."There's a small political point here, I don't think the regulation of the housing associations is anything near right.What should happen is the local authority should get to look after those housing associations and ask them to take action when the construction is as it is here.

At the moment there is some very bureaucratic process involving quangos and the rest of it . I think if we brought that control down to a local level we can help get these problems fixed and faster and that's one of the things we will do if we win on Thursday."

I'm glad that Grant Shapps came to Berecroft. I wanted him to see the terrible fire that took place a couple of days ago. It's wrong that the residents have suffered in this way. I'm going to be seeking an urgent meeting with South Anglia because something needs to be done to make sure this never happens again.

Harlow Conservative councillor and Housing Committee Chairman Lee Dangerfield said:

"I've called for an urgent meeting with local residents and South Anglia Housing. We must make sure these works are done as soon as possible."

Berecroft Residents Association chairman Zulqar Cheema stated : "We need to move a little bit quicker. With these organisations you have this sort of treacle-type movement whereas local residents and people want it done the following day and there should be something that gets it done fairly quickly. We need to push it and get it done."

by Robert Halfon - www.roberthalfon.blogspot.com

Good news: Money for Home Insulation

I am really pleased to give backing to bold Conservative plans to help households in Harlow, Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon and Sheering protect the environment and save money.

Major policy proposals for a Conservative government include providing up to £6,500 for home insulation improvements at no upfront cost to residents. Under the plans, every household will have the right to have home energy efficiency work of up to £6,500. There will be no upfront cost, as the work will be paid for by the much larger savings on energy bills from the improved insulation.

This will open up a whole new market in energy efficiency, create tens of thousands of skilled jobs and cut carbon emissions. It will also save families money and make homes in Hastingwood, Nazeing, Roydon and Sheering warmer in winter - helping the elderly and 'fuel poor' in particular.

A typical home could see £30 a month knocked off its final bill.

The Green Deal of insulating people's homes for no upfront cost and rewarding people for recycling will not only protect the environment, but also help families and pensioners who are struggling to make ends meet.

A good reason to vote Conservative.

You can read more details of the proposal from Grant Shapps MP (Conservative Housing Spokesman), HERE.

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A Housing Revolution

There is some good news on Housing today, as the Conservatives have unveiled a raft of revolutionary housing proposals. The main - and most far reaching -proposal is to give social housing tenants to right to move. In essence, this will mean that tenants of good standing will be able to compel their Landlord (be it council, or housing association), to sell their house and buy another property elsewhere - in the area they want to move to (providing the price is the same or less). This will have dramatic effects on social mobility, as people will be able to move to areas they want to, rather than be forced to stay in one place.

Another great aspect of the proposal is that tenants who have a good record over five years, will be able to claim for a free 10% equity in the property they live in, giving them a first step on the property ladder. The policy proposals also protect green belt land, incentivises councils to build houses where needed (with genuine local consultation) and allows village residents to establish a special local body to plan for housing needs.

These proposals are dramatic in nature and could have as much an influence as the 'Right to Buy Policy' during the 1980s. All in all,good news for tenants, home owners, and those who care about the green belt. The Guardian has a good summary of all the proposals HERE.

No wonder house purchases have dramatically fallen

I find it amazing that given the terrible state of the fragile housing market in Harlow and the surrounding villages, the Government have pressed ahead with the introduction of complex and expensive new Home Information Pack rules.

From today, extra Home Information Pack (HIP) regulations will hinder sellers from putting their homes on the market, mislead buyers and create a real danger of £200 fines from town hall officials.

The Government is even cancelling the ‘first day marketing’ provision which allowed sellers to market their home if a HIP had been ordered, but had not yet been completed.

Sellers will now have to wait even longer before they can put up a ‘For Sale’ sign. if this were not bad enough - HIPs must have a so-called ‘Property Information Questionnaire’ completed by the seller. The questionnaire is useless, as unscrupulous sellers can sidestep difficult questions that could reduce their house price by ticking a “don’t know” box.

The buyer cannot be certain that the information is reliable about such things as past dry rot or damp, insurance claims, experience of flooding, and whether past alterations had official permission. Honest sellers will also suffer, as disputes over information in Property Information Questionnaires will end up in the courts, with buyers suing sellers.

Town halls have been instructed to “identify specific cases of non-compliance and enforce the requirements” - and start fining homeowners £200 a time if they do not follow the new rules. The Government’s own research has found there is little public knowledge about, or interest in HIPs; that the industry thinks they are a waste of time; that they duplicate costs and that buyers are not bothering to consult HIPs. Ministers have emergency powers under the Housing Act to suspend HIPs, but have refused to use them.

I stongly believe that the introduction of HIPs is a disaster. They have have already damaged the market and discouraged sellers. Now Gordon Brown is making things even worse. You cannot trust the contents of a Home Information Pack, and these regulations will lead to yet more wasted time and expense.

I am glad that Tory Housing Spokesman, Grant Shapps MP has pledged that a Conservative Government will scrap Home Information Packs outright. After all, if Ministers really wanted to help homeowners, they would use their emergency powers to suspend HIPs and provide a shot in the arm to the ailing market. We should be on the side of Britain’s home owners and the many people who want to move on and up the housing ladder.